


Incognito

by RunLikeRain



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 14:03:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunLikeRain/pseuds/RunLikeRain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol decides to have a chat with Eric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Incognito

Alexandria was at it's quietest in the early afternoon. Carol had made it her business, in the first days she'd been living there, to make note of the ebb and flow of activity in the town, who went where, where people liked to congregate, and the people they chose to congregate with. Anything that would help her integrate as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of the community. It was also useful for times when she wanted to move around the town with the least chance of being waylaid by chatty townsfolk, like today. She glanced out the window to make sure the street was empty, gathered up her latest casserole and pasted on her most placid and pleasant expression before heading out the door and down the street towards Aaron and Eric's house.

The two men had begun to intrigue her. Not only because they were the ones who brought her and her people to Alexandria but also because they were the favorite subject of gossip among the women of the town, and what Carol had been hearing piqued her interest. Gossip wasn't always true, of course, but she of all people knew the advantages of being on the inside of gossip circles, having been a perpetual outsider as well as favorite subject throughout her entire marriage to Ed. The women of her small town had known all about what went on behind closed doors at the Peletier house, or at least they knew enough that they felt confident embellishing the rest. They didn't care enough to offer a helping hand or even a word of sympathy, of course. Just enough to have something to discuss in scandalized whispers every time she showed up at the monthly church potluck with a new set of bruises.

Carol gave herself a little mental shake. Dwelling on those things were pointless. Ed was gone, those women were probably all gone, that whole world was gone. That Carol was dead and buried, and good riddance to her. And thankfully the talk about Aaron and Eric had nothing to do with violence, at least not the kind they directed at one another, and everything to do with the fact that they were Aaron and Eric and not Aaron and Erica. It wasn't even that the women were offended by it; they seemed to genuinely like Aaron in particular, which Carol conceded was difficult to avoid. There was more to him than that, though, which Shelly Neudermeyer had been all too happy to elaborate on one day shortly after Carol's group arrived in Alexandria, when they'd been comparing recipes in Erin's living room.

_"It's lucky that Alexandria has such a kind young pair of men who are willing to take such risks for everyone," Carol remarked. "I was starting to wonder if people like that even existed in the world anymore. It seemed like a miracle when he showed up like that, all charming and friendly."_

_"He's not always so friendly though," Shelly said, glancing knowingly at Erin and Olivia, who looked a little troubled._

_"I mean it's hard to blame him," Erin said, noticing Olivia's look. Carol had the feeling this was a conversation they'd had before. "I mean, some of the men, they are really just awful to them. Eric, mostly. I think they think Eric is an easier target. He's so quiet, and so thin he seems smaller than Aaron though he isn't really."_

_"Besides," Shelly said, "no one bothers Aaron anymore, not after Richard."_

_"Richard?" Carol asked, all polite, eager interest. "What does that mean?"_

_"Well," Shelly began, clearly pleased to have a new audience, "I suppose Richard isn't where that story starts, it's Bernie. He's one of those old guys, you know the type, very traditional, very--"_

_"Very much a nasty old fossil," Olivia cut in, frowning. "He owes his life to Aaron and Eric, and look how he's treated them."_

_"Just men being men," Shelly admonished. Olivia flushed a little and looked away. "Anyway," she said, "I was outside, tending my flowers and I saw Aaron and Bernie talking a couple of houses down. Of course I didn't mean to spy on them or anything--"_

_Of course not, Carol thought, but said nothing._

_"--but you just couldn't help overhearing?" Erin supplied helpfully. Shelly pursed her lips disapprovingly._

_"Well obviously they were too far away," she said. "But Bernie walked off and he just looked so strange. Kind of shaken, you know? Aaron was just watching him go with the oddest look on his face. I'd say he looked angry, but he was smiling. It was a little bit eerie, and made me nervous, honestly."_

_"General consensus is that Aaron threatened him. Can you imagine?" Erin put in. "What could he have threatened him with that would shake him up like that?"_

_"Well, there are a lot of scary things in this world these days," Carol said._

_"Maybe if Bernie didn't make horrible comments every time Eric is near enough to hear him," Olivia said and again, Shelly frowned at her._

_"That's no reason to go around threatening people! Bernie crosses the street when he sees Aaron now, and Aaron just watches him, with that nasty smile on his face."_

_"Well," Carol said, "If Aaron and Eric are the ones that brought him in, I'd have to agree with Olivia. There's not a lot of room in this world anymore for that kind of thinking. A little gratitude goes a long way."_

_Olivia was looking down at her hands, but Carol could see her smile. Erin, too, seemed pleased to hear someone defy the force of nature that was Shelly Neudermeyer. Olivia made sense, but Erin? God, Carol thought, catty women. I thought I'd never have to deal with this again._

_"But Richard," Shelly went on, hoping to recapture her audience, "that was the big one. He was just like Bernie, making nasty comments and talking badly about them behind their backs. And one day, he ran into Eric, down by the pond. Eric said good morning to him, and...well," she paused, "I don't want to repeat what he said. But it was vile. Eric sort of went pale, and Richard just laughed and walked away."_

_"You were there?" Carol asked, forgetting for a moment the role she was playing. "You didn't say anything to defend him?"_

_"Well, I keep my nose out of other people's business, don't I?" Shelly said, shocked. "I did say good morning to Eric, and I hope he could tell I didn't approve of that sort of language, but I didn't think he wanted to dwell on it so I just reminded him about looking for a pasta maker for me the next time he went out. He just smiled and said he'd keep an eye out, and that was it. But the next evening Richard showed up in Pete's office with a busted lip, a broken nose and the biggest black eye I've ever seen. Told Pete he'd fallen down the stairs." She shook her head. "What a sad excuse."_

_Carol nodded, remembering the days when she'd come up with similar excuses. "So, it was Eric that did it, then?"_

_Shelly and Erin laughed, startled, and even Olivia smiled. "No, of course not. It couldn't have been, could it? It must have been Aaron. Eric probably told him what happened and Aaron went out to settle it. Richard wouldn't admit that a--well, a man like Aaron--could have done that to him, obviously."_

_Carol smiled. "Obviously," and wondered what chance any of them had when this was apparently the last bastion of human civilization._

She hadn't been so sure Eric wasn't capable of inflicting some damage as the other ladies had been. After all, she saw him, trapped under a car, two dead walkers lying nearby and two more doing their shambling best to get their teeth into him. He was in an awkward position, clearly in a lot of pain and terrified. He probably wouldn't have lasted much longer on his own but he'd done better, she was sure, than the majority of people in Alexandria would even have dreamed of. Even some of her own people would have been in serious trouble. He'd been as pleasant as his partner, if a little more distant, and his primary concern was not for his own fate in the hands of a bunch of filthy, half starved, battle hardened survivors like they were, but for Aaron. Especially when he learned they'd taken the worst possible route despite all Aaron's pleas and warnings. He'd even been openly angry at that, which took a certain amount of grit considering that he had been immediately disarmed and was incapacitated with a likely broken ankle.

In short, Carol was intrigued.

The screen door was closed but the inner door was wide open. She knocked. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone home?"

Eric hobbled into view, smiling politely. "Carol?" he said, and the smile turned into something more genuine. He opened the door. "Come in, it's good to see you."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said. 

"Absolutely not," he replied. "I was just about to make some tea, if you'd like to join me."

"Tea? My goodness, it's been so long since I had tea. I'd love some, thank you." She held up the dish in her arms. "I know Aaron is out with Daryl, and you're still on crutches. I've had a broken ankle, I know how hard it is to get around and take care of things like that. So..." She grinned. "I remembered. No salmon, no onions. No applesauce. So Aaron can eat it too, when he gets back."

Carol couldn't really read him yet, but he seemed genuinely pleased. "That's really lovely, thank you," he said. "You really shouldn't have gone to the trouble though. Aaron is very overprotective and didn't leave until he knew I had at least a week's worth of food ready."

"You call that 'overprotective,' I just call it thoughtful and caring." She set the dish down on the counter.

Eric scowled affectionately. "So he tells me." The kettle on the stove began to whistle. Eric turned off the burner and started looking through the cabinets. "Aaron found a bunch of tea for me a few months ago. We only have lemon ginger though."

"It sounds delicious. And here, let me help."

**

Once they were seated at the table, steaming mugs of tea in hand, Carol cast about for a good way to start the conversation she wanted. Someone like Shelly Neudermeyer was easy. Just get her started and she'd chatter all day long. Eric, she sensed, wasn't going to be that easy.

"So," she began, "another reason I wanted to stop by was to say thank you."

"Oh?"

"You know, for bringing us here."

Eric waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that! You act like it was nothing. You saved all our lives, we couldn't be more grateful." She turned the cup in her hands, thinking. "I am sorry about how Rick treated the two of you. Aaron especially." She smiled ruefully. "He must have thought he'd made a terrible mistake."

"No. Aaron was convinced. He admired that you were so dedicated to each other, and that you didn't turn on each other. Took care of each other. I didn't disagree with any of that, but..." he shrugged.

"But?"

Eric set his cup down. "Before all this, Aaron and I spent a lot of time in Africa as part of an NGO. We encountered a lot of sticky situations with people who were undoubtedly good, loving people among themselves but had zero interest in outsiders. Aaron was very good at making friends out of those people. It's how we were so effective. But he was also very good at underestimating the situation. He likes to see the good in people. Especially now when a place like this could be the difference between living and dying. Me? Not so much."

"You thought Aaron underestimated us?" _Clever boy_ , she thought.

"In Africa we were westerners. Aid workers, basically. There was still a society in place that people were, in theory, answerable to. Most people knew about us, and most of them at least had heard some stories of us being there to help. We had--again in theory--some semblance of protection. That doesn't exist any more. If you see a tight knit group now, you have to assume that they will go to extreme lengths to protect themselves. Understandably. There is no margin for error. Not for one man approaching a large group of armed, skittish, half starved survivors. I thought..." he shrugged. "Maybe you'd been out there too long."

"But he convinced you."

He smiled suddenly, startling her into her own smile in return. "Oh, don't get me wrong, it took some time. I'm not that much of a pushover, not even for those big blue eyes. Our rule is that we don't approach anyone until we are both 100% committed. So I made him wait, watch, and listen."

The idea of these men watching them for so long was incredibly unnerving, as was the way he was looking at her. "Well, you certainly gave us a fright," she said, trying to shake off the feeling. "You left that water in the road, and no one had any idea you were there. Drove Daryl crazy, I promise you."

"Aaron and I made a bet. He was certain you'd take it. 'It's sealed bottles of water, surely they can see that!' But I didn't think so."

"What did you win?"

He smirked. "That would be telling," he said, and to her dismay Carol actually blushed. _That little bastard is actually smirking at me_ , she thought.

"What made you agree in the end?"

"Oh, his ridiculous altruism can be contagious. Besides, Aaron is a very persuasive man," he said, fondly.

Carol leaped on the chance to retake control of the conversation. "Oh, yes. I've heard about that."

That got his attention. "Oh?"

"Just gossip."

"About?"

"Just Aaron, persuading," she said, emphasizing the word, "some people around here to leave you alone."

"Ah. Well, as you've seen he is very protective."

Carol leaned forward, conspiratorial. "So, he really did break that guy's nose?"

Eric laughed. "What? Aaron? Well, everyone certainly seems to think so."

"You, then?"

He looked at her for a moment, still smiling, though his eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit. "He said he fell down some stairs or something, I think."

"Hmm." she said. "We all saw you, you know. Fighting off those walkers with a broken ankle, stuck under a car. You're stronger than you seem."

"And I saw you, toting around that gun--the one Aaron says you struggled to take off when you got here--like it weighed less than a feather."

Carol sat back and studied him. "Well then," she said. 

"There are some situations in which it pays to be underestimated," he said. "Don't you agree?"

She smiled. Genuine, this time. Not the bright, vapid, fake smile she'd perfected so many years ago. "I do. And on that note, I should get going. I told Olivia I'd help her update her inventory in the pantry."

"Ooh, exciting," Eric said. He got up and walked her out onto the porch just as Shelly Neudermeyer happened to be passing by. She gave them a curious look, but waved. Carol waved cheerily back, then turned to Eric. 

"Want me to plant some fun rumors for you?"

"There's an idea. What'd you have in mind?" 

"Oh, I don't know. 'I was in Aaron and Eric's house yesterday, and do you know I could swear Eric hid a pasta maker under the counter as I came in!'"

Eric threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, you wouldn't!" 

Carol grinned, seeing Shelly glancing back at them at the sound of Eric's laughter. "I guess not. Besides I think we might be creating rumors right now without even trying."

"Great," muttered Eric, rolling his eyes. "It was good talking to you, Carol. Thank you for the casserole."

"And thank you for the tea. It really has been years. Take care of that foot. If you need anything before Aaron gets back, let me know, okay?"

He nodded, and she headed down the street. Shelly stopped pretending to be minding her own business and stood waiting for Carol on the corner, face the picture of curiosity. Glancing back, she saw Eric watching them. He caught her eye, smirked, and turned to go back inside. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for Shelly's barrage of questions. 

For the first time, she started to feel the tiniest spark of hope.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Eric is a recruiting veteran, and despite Aaron's protectiveness is perfectly capable and probably very underestimated. I feel like Carol and Eric would have a unique understanding of one another. I hope it all came across in a way that isn't too obvious, or too blatant, and makes sense.


End file.
